The present invention relates generally to amplifiers and, in particular, to a modular high power solid state amplifier.
Power outputs from individual amplifiers or amplifier devices are often combined to achieve a higher output power. The power output from one amplifier is combined with the power output from another amplifier and so on until the desired level of output power is reached.
There is some loss associated with combining multiple amplifiers due to the splitting and combining circuitry. This loss should be considered when determining the desired output power.
There are power limit constraints on solid state amplifiers. For example, due to combiner losses and device output power, a low cost, conventional solid state power amplifier can only achieve a few watts. For high power applications (e.g., over 10 watts), typically only tube amplifiers are available and not solid state devices. Moreover, even if solid state electronics were available for high power amplifiers, current assembly techniques require the size of the power amplifier to be too large and costly.
There are numerous problems associated with current power combining methods. Power combining requires the phase and amplitude of the combined signals to be closely matched. High frequency power amplifiers typically require precise, labor-intensive hand tuning to set the phase for each individual amplifier, thereby increasing labor and/or testing costs. Moreover, hand tuning the power amplifier increases manufacturing difficulty.
The assembly of each power amplifier is often complicated and time consuming. For example, RF (radio frequency) power amplifiers typically require a DC (direct current) feed to each individual amplifier. The DC must be routed around the RF paths channeling RF to each individual amplifier on a RF board. In the past, small wires (jumper wires) have been used to xe2x80x9cjump overxe2x80x9d the RF paths and deliver the DC to the amplifiers. Individually bonding the DC wires to the RF board is time consuming. Additionally, the fragile wires are very thin and susceptible to breakage; thus increasing the risk of amplifier breakdown. Moreover, the DC component is not integrated with the power amplifier into a single stand-alone package, but rather, the DC component is built into the RF component.
The various aspects of the present invention address the problems outlined above and provide a method and apparatus for an improved high power amplifier. A modular solid state high power amplifier is herein disclosed having a DC component and a RF component coupled to at least one gain device, and a suitable signal isolation layer between the two components.
The solid state components, angled configurations, and piggyback topology of the invention provide a compact and efficient integrated amplifier device and method of assembly, manufacture, and use.